City of Chaldea (Freeform RP Area)

At the Devil's Cocktail
- Vayu -

A few days later, Vayu stood in the kitchen of the Devil’s Cocktail, absentmindedly watching a boiling pot with vegetable stew. He was pondering the last mission. Suddenly his gauntlet glowed, and Jack Frost appeared.

“Alright,” Vayu said and turned around to look at the demon. “This has to stop.” He gestured at Jack Frost and the gauntlet. “You have to stop coming out on your own.”

Jack Frost gleefully hopped up on the counter and with a content face sniffed on the stew.

“I only come out when called,” he replied and looked around for a spoon.

Vayu slapped his wrist and then with a light smile pointed to a bowl standing at the side. Jack Frost happily plopped down and began to chow down.

“You do know, I don’t actively call you out, right?” Vayu asked. Jack Frost nodded, still chowing down on the stew. “I know,” he mumbled.

“And…?” Vayu continued to ask. He was tired of not knowing what was going on.

Jack Frost finally looked at him, his expression cheery. “I spread cheer, so I come out when you call me to cheer you up.”

You have been in a better mood since that little demon showed up, Catequil’s voice suddenly echoed through Vayu’s head. “Shut up, Catequil,” Vayu replied, his eyes still on Jack Frost. Catequil’s chuckle slowly faded. Vayu sighed. Suddenly he felt ganged up on by his demons.

“So explain it to me,” he said to Jack Frost, struggling to understand. “You respond to my... emotions?”

Jack Frost, still eating his stew, nodded and with a full mouth replied “I wrry to elllph, gutt oure not awry shorry porrsn…”

At the Devil's Cocktail - continued
- Vayu -

Vayu had returned to stirring the pot, pondering Jack Frost’s words. Had he really been less cheerful lately? More serious?

Well, of course after the first few missions and in particular after what happened to Bastion, he had put more effort into his training. However, that didn’t mean he stopped having fun? Or did it?

When was the last time he did have true and honest fun? Probably that afternoon with the sled race in the snow.

“So say you’re right...” Vayu began, twisting the wooden spoon in his hand. “Let’s make a deal.”

He turned around to face Jack Frost.

“I’ll try to become more cheerful and you resist the urge to come out of the gauntlet solely based on my feelings.” He regarded the demon for a few seconds and then extended his hand.

Jack Frost jumped up on the counter, hopping up and down with the bells on his hat jingling. “Oh, this is like a bet hee-ho!” he called out and grabbed Vayu’s hand. “I won’t give you forever,” the demon then declared. “If you don’t get better, I will keep spreading cheer! Hee-ho!”

Vayu sighed and then nodded. “Fine,” he agreed. He gave the celebrating Jack Frost another look and then returned to his cooking.

The Devil's Cocktail

- Cleo -

Cleo continued to nurse his drink as the last patrons shuffled out the door. His eyes moved to Nena, who was wiping down the bar with some kind of oil. Even Mongo had already been tossed out of the bar, leaving only Nena and Rory cleaning up. He should have offered to help them, but Nena would work him to the bone for no pay, and Rory was too prideful of her work to accept the help. The two of them made an interesting pair.

With a deep breath, he tossed back the rest of his drink and sat the empty mug on the bar for Rory to pick up. Now that he'd finished up, Cleo didn't have an excuse to not approach Nena with the reason he was still here, aside from the fact that he didn't want to talk to anyone about it.

"Is the offer for that talk still on the table?" Cleo asked. "Or maybe on the bar?" He couldn't help but chuckle at that. There were other things the two of them could do on that bar. To be fair, the table would work for that too. He shook his head, pushing away the thought. It was something that had become easier in the last couple of days. Apparently, after denying yourself enough times, you got used to going without. Who knew?

Nena had been furtively watching Cleo nurse several drinks during the night, trying to find the opening — and the courage - to approach her about what had happened during their summer vacation. Sure enough, once the bar had cleared of patrons, he finally came up to her and opened with a corny joke.

“I take it you’re getting things under control,” she said, eyebrow raised. “Because that wasn’t your best work, Cleo.”

Turning from him, she waved over to Rory in the corner to get her attention.

“Head on home,” she told her helper. “I can finish up here.”

Rory frowned, still clutching her broom. “But-“

“Go on.” Nena waved her off. “I have to do these things occasionally, or I’ll forget how.”

Reluctantly, Rory handed over the broom to Nena and said goodnight to Cleo, eyes darting between them before finally slipping out the door. Once she was gone, Nena leaned against the broom and smiled at Cleo.

“So, how much have you put together, and how much do I need to explain?” she asked.

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Cleo -

“Under control?” Cleo chuckled, darkly at that comment. “I’m not sure that’s even a remote possibility at this point.”

He waved to Rory as she left, trying not to think about the burning questions behind the girl’s eyes. Those were questions he didn’t want anyone else having, because those questions might lead to answers he didn’t like.

“I’m not sure how much I’ve put together. To be honest, it’s been kind of difficult for me to focus since the fairy court. I feel like I spend half my time fighting with myself, and that’s far more exhausting than any combat I’ve ever encountered in my Vanguard work.” His lips quirked up in a sad smile. “This very moment, I’m imagining a series of scenarios that would put you and I in some seriously compromising positions.” He raised a hand to cut off her immediate response. “And it’s not just you. Any female put in front of me leads my mind down the same path.”

“Don’t get me wrong.” He put his hand back on the bar, pressing his fingers down until his knuckles turned white. “I’ve always enjoyed feminine company, but it was always with respect. This is different. It’s like an insidious whisper in the back of my mind, something visceral and primal that I keep having to chase back into the dark with a torch.”

He relaxed his hand and turned it over, looking at his open palm. Taking a deep breath, he forced out the words. “I first noticed something was wrong after we encountered her, the one that called herself Mother. She had a mirror that I caught a glimpse of, a mirror that supposedly turned humans into the demonic counterpart of themselves.”

“After that mission, there were some physical changes. Subtle changes, but definitely something that I noticed.” He swallowed, bringing his hand up to press back his hair, revealing the small horns that had developed there. “Disturbing as that may have been, a friend of mine mentioned something that made me wonder if that was really when it all began though.” Letting his hand fall back to the bar, Cleo slumped forward in his seat. “Apparently, the horns weren’t anything new, just more pronounced than they’d been before.”

“I’ve also noticed that my teeth are getting sharper.” He continued. “And while the ladies I’ve taken home from the bar would always have said I was well off, let’s just say that some of them might think twice about another night with me if they saw how I am now.”

“Clearly, whatever demon blood is in me is sensual. In the presence of a happy woman, I feel like I’ve just eaten a meal, and that’s just from their mood. I haven’t tried bedding one since the fairy court. It didn’t seem like a good idea. Still doesn’t, if I’m being honest, even though my mind is screaming for me to do just that.”

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena sighed at Cleo’s explanation of his condition lately, and at the distress in his voice. So unlike his usual, carefree persona.

“I smelled it on you the first time you walked in here,” she said quietly, pouring him a drink and waving off when he went to pay. “Most demons wouldn’t be able to pick it up, but I could, weak as it was. I’d recognize it anywhere.”

She poured herself a drink and took a sip, then looked him in the eyes. “Demon blood. Incubus blood, to be precise. Only about a quarter, but still there. Still potent.” She stirred her drink, watching the liquid swirl. “The thing about demon and human blood mixing together is that it’s not like your mixed human genetics. Demon blood can grow stronger and more dominant in the hybrid’s body, regardless of the original amount passed on. If it weren’t for her, you probably would have gone on without noticing.”

She frowned at the reference to Mother Harlot. Even demons didn’t like speaking her name.

“You’re lucky you got away as unscathed as you did. But even so, she activated your demon blood. Excited it, we like to say. And Oberon’s charm didn’t help, lowering your inhibitions and allowing it to run rampant through your body.”

She finished off her drink and licked her lips.

“I wish I could tell you there’s a way back, but there isn’t. Once man eats from the Apple of Knowledge, he can’t unlearn or return to ignorance. The only way is forward.” She pulled out a flask from beneath the bar, a sparkling blue liquid undulating within the glass, and held it up to him. “A concoction I developed that dampens demon impulses. I use it myself, or else I wouldn’t be nearly so self-controlled as you see.”

Every time Komori walked through, she had to take a double dose to stop herself from jumping him. The idea made her stomach flutter.

“It can hide some attributes, particularly for someone with only partial demon blood like you. But you’ll need to drink it regularly. And I will warn you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Dampening the impulses artificially can be dangerous. Once you start relying on something other than your own willpower, it will make it that much harder to resist once that defense is gone. If you’re willing to take that risk, though, I’ll share it with you.”

As she looked into his eyes, she flashed back to the past, to a very similar pair of eyes staring back at her across the bar. He had a sultry look, the same one he fixed every woman he came across. They’d looked similar, enough that she already suspected, but as he leaned in closer to look at the drink, his scent now much stronger, she could actually smell the similarity from him.

Was that too much for him to know now, with what he was already grappling with?

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Cleo -

Incubus blood.

Cleo took a long draw from the drink Nena had poured for him. The fact that she’d actually refused payment for it drove even further home how screwed he really was.

He stared into the swirling, blue liquid for several moments before raising his eyes to meet Nena’s once more. “How much more obvious will the changes be if I don’t take it?”

The thought of relying on such a concoction to remain himself didn’t sit well with Cleo. He’d seen enough addicts in his life to know where that street ended, even if it was warranted in his situation.

“I suspect that going back to my previous lifestyle is probably out of the question, but hypothetically, what happens if I take a woman now that the blood is excited? Will there be more changes, or is the worst already over?”

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena shrugged as hesitation grew behind Cleo's eyes as he stared into the blue liquid.

"No more obvious than they are now... assuming nothing happens to keep stirring your blood up."

He wasn't going to take it. She could already tell. Well, she had tried. After tucking the flask back behind the bar, she leaned against the counter and frowned.

"It's hard to say definitively, as hybrids aren't exactly common," she replied. "But it's likely that continuing to feed into your lifestyle could strengthen your demon blood, and in turn, make the incubus physical attributes more prominent."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear, she was sure of that, but it wasn't entirely without hope.

"I'm not saying you have to become a celibate monk," she teased, trying to lighten the mood. "It's less about the physical act and more about the intention behind it. If you see it as a conquest and feed your lust, that's one thing. But to be intimate with someone and share yourself with them as an act of love - real love, mind you, not your brand of self-love disguised as charity - I think that's entirely different, contrary to an incubus' nature."

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Cleo -

Cleo’s eyes followed the flask as Nena moved it back behind the bar, drawn by the temptation, despite his own resolve. Only after it was once more out of sight did he feel like he could breathe again.

“If only it were so simple as avoidance.” He scoffed.

“Just being in female presence stirs my blood up.” Cleo continued, taking another long gulp from his drink. “Every time someone paid out their tab tonight, I could feel the pleasure wash off of you, and I absorbed it like a stone on the road absorbs the heat of the sun.”

“It was the same when the baker’s husband showed up to help her stagger home earlier, and when that dryad at the bar finally got one of the farmers to buy her a drink. I could practically taste their pleasure in the air, and I don’t know how to not absorb the energy from it.”

He wasn’t going to comment on Nena’s view of his personal relations. It had never been about conquests for him. There were no marks on his bedpost because Cleo didn’t keep count. He had too much respect for the women he bedded for that, but she wasn’t too far off the mark with saying that it built up his ego to pleasure a woman. In a way, the act was selfish because he knew it was empty. He couldn’t give any of them what they truly deserved, but he could give them a good time in exchange for them validating his existence.

That seemed like a poor path to follow if he didn’t want to grow fangs and a tail right now though…

Cleo snorted at his private joke and reached for his drink once more. If you could still laugh at yourself, you weren’t totally screwed, right?

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena nodded as she poured herself another drink.

“It’s only natural,” she mused. “Your demon side has just surfaced like a drowning man hitting shore, and his breathing is out of control as he tries to get as much oxygen in as possible. Once you become accustomed to the sensations, you’ll be able to regulate it, just like that half-drowned man eventually gaining back enough control to regulate his breathing.”

She set down her glass, her eyes giving him a warning look.

“But with that control will come a temptation to turn it outward instead of inward. That’s what he-“

Nena cut herself off awkwardly and swigged down the rest of her drink.

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Cleo -

Cleo considered that as he tipped back the last of his drink. “So, that means I should be prepared for more changes while my body regulates itself then?” It sounded like, without the potion, those changes would be inevitable. His eyes moved to where he knew the flask rested behind the bar. Now that he thought about it, he’d seen Nena take a sip from it on more than one occasion, but he’d just assumed it was her private stock. How heavily did she truly lean on that crutch?

With that on his mind, Cleo was even more glad he’d turned down the offer. While it might have helped him suppress his nature, it would also potentially prevent him from properly acclimating to it. So, the effect of losing that crutch would be multiplied in a worst case scenario.

The awkward halt to Nena’s train of thought wasn’t lost upon him. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time she’d had this conversation with someone of mixed blood. Considering her lifespan, he shouldn’t find that surprising.

“All power comes with temptation, my lovely barkeep.” He pushed his empty cup towards her side of the bar and rose to his feet. “I, for one, choose to believe that the power granted is usually enough to resist that temptation.”

Cleo sat a coin on the bar and turned to leave, but he paused after a step, turning back towards her. “But, from one tempted soul to another,” he nodded towards where the flask was hidden beneath the bar, “sometimes, it takes more power to accept the temptation than to resist it.”

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena watched Cleo leave the bar, finger sliding his coin back and forth across the wood of the bar. It was good that he wasn't buckling under the revelation, but overconfidence could be just as bad. Would he be able to resist the temptation? She hoped so, for a lot of people's sakes. To think of another like that man...

She grimaced. Incubi and succubi were one thing. It was their nature to prey on humans. But for a human, half or not, to do that to his fellow man... there was something unsettling about it.

Cleo had his mother's side too, though. That had to count for something.

After another glance at the door, now safely shut behind Cleo, Nena pulled out the flask from beneath the bar and peered into the blue liquid, distorting her reflection in the glass as she swirled it about.

Did it take more power to accept the temptation than to resist it? Sometimes, she couldn't be sure...

At the Devil’s Cocktail

Unusual for him, Vayu was sitting at the bar instead of standing behind it or working in the kitchen. He took another sip from his beer, staring at his gauntlet, thinking back to the events from earlier this afternoon.

…
After leaving the Cathedral of Shadows, he’d gone outside of Chaldea to the edge of the forest. Eventually, he snapped his fingers and Jack Frost appeared.

The demon appeared and jumped excitedly up and down. “What are we gonna train today, hee-ho?”

“Nothing,” Vayu said. After a pause, he continued in a more serious tone. “I’m afraid we won’t be training anymore.”

Jack Frost looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

“I was thinking of fusing you and maybe one of your spells into one of the other demons,” Vayu told him quite directly. For a moment he thought about sugarcoating it, but that didn’t feel right. “I promised to make you stronger. And I think I did. But this is where our ways part again.”

Suddenly Jack Frost looked somewhat sad, which was not a fitting expression for his face.

“Cheer up,” Vayu said, “You can go back to your friends.”

“Mh….,” Jack Frost made an unsatisfied sound. “That’s hee-ho very nice of you. Then why is Jack Frost feeling sad?”

Vayu kneeled down and smiled. “Because life is not only cheers, even though they are more fun.” He gave Jack Frost one last pat on the shoulder and stood up and turned around. “Goodbye.”

“Bye hee-ho!” Jack Frost said, jumping up and down with his bells jingling loudly.
…

With a sigh, Vayu finished his drink.

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena frowned as she watched Vayu slowly nurse his drink. He’d been a bit different since coming back from his last mission, though she couldn’t say why.

“Ah, I know that face,” Mongo mused from the stool at the end of the bar. “That’s the look of a human who had to let go of a demon he got attached to. I’ve seen plenty of Vanguards with that same expression over the years.”

“And here I thought you didn’t notice anything above the neck,” Nena muttered.

Mongo chuckled, beady eyes glinting. “Ah, don’t feel neglected, Nena. I notice everyone one of your details, from grey hairs down to every fine wrinkle.”

With a well-aimed curse, Nena sent him catapulting off the stool and into the corner before sliding Vayu another drink.

“Here. On his tab,” she added, smiling.

The Devil's Cocktail

Vayu glanced over to Mongo and Nena.

"Don't worry about me, it's just a phase," Vayu replied to Mongo. "That little frosty mongrel was way too chaotic for me anyways." He grimaced.

He put out his hand to catch the drink. "Thanks," he said.

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Mongo crawled out from beneath a table, back to grinning despite the attack on him.

“Just a phase,” Mongo repeated. “I’ve heard humans say that before, too, usually lying to themselves. But they’re usually talking about-“

Nena sent another curse flying, causing Mongo to scuttle back under the table for cover.

“Honestly.” Nena planted her hands on her hips and huffed. “He doesn’t need you jabbing at him right now.”

“I’m being supportive!” Mongo objected from somewhere out of sight.

“You’re being a pest.”

Just then, the door to the basement flipped open, and a little oni emerged, hefting a barrel of ale. “Goki got the new batch!”

“Oh, thanks, Goki.” Nena waved a hand. “Over in the corner will do. See, why can’t you be more like Goki? He actually helps around here.”

“You pay him,” Mongo muttered. “I pay you. Why should I help out?”

“Because it would do you some good to contribute for once to something.”

Mongo scoffed, the coughed as Rory swept under the table where he his. When he pawed at the broom like an angry cat, she sighed and walked off, smiling at Vayu as she passed.

The Graveyard to The Devil's Cocktail - Ilio Fosferrum

"Hey, dad." Said Ilio, smiling warmly at the grave that belonged to her father. "I am doing pretty fine as usual. I mean, I made it out alive in one piece. This time, the quest was..."

Ilio began to talk about the quest she took, and started to talk about all the emotions she felt in the quest. She did not leave out any single details of the quest that she completed just now. When she finally came to the conclusion of the story, she smiled warmthly again. "See you around, I will bring you more stories."

She then made her way to the Devil's Cocktail, smiling bright as usual. "Hello, Nena! What's your today's recommendation?" she asked the bartender, then she noticed Mongo actually doing some work. "Wow, this is a surprise, Mongo actually helping Nena." She commented, and then look at Nena whispering. "Is he okay? Did something happen to him?" She whispered her question.

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena smiled brightly at Ilio as she approached the counter. "Haven't seen you in a while, Ilio. I guess they've been keeping you busy."

Mongo trotted past them, carrying a tray of drinks, which Ilio noticed and asked Nena about in a whisper that Mongo's sensitive ears still managed to pick up.

"Nena happened to me!" he whined, returning with the empty tray and clambering onto the stool by Ilio.

She pursed her lips at him. "He couldn't pay his tab, so he's doing a little helping out to buy himself a little more time to pull the funds together."

Mongo grumbled under his breath, then changed tracks when he properly noticed Ilio. His cheeks flushed, and he straightened out his little robe and beamed up at her.

"And how are you, lovely Ilio?" he asked.

"Better before you started bothering her." Nena threw a dishrag in his face before setting her recommended drink of the day in front of Ilio. "Now get back to work."

Mongo climbed over the bar - ignoring Nena's protests - and skulked back into the kitchen.

The Devil’s Cocktail - Ilio

"Yeah, the mission they wanted my team to solve had some interesting complication. Thankfully, my team was capable." She said casually, as if she was stating the obvious.

Ilio gave a soft giggle at Mongo as the friendly demon stated about his reason for working, as he made himself comfortable to her side, Ilio smiled warmly. "Oh, Mongo. That's so like you." When Mongo used his overused pickup line, she was disturbed by a mission call. Her eyes quickly checked out the mission details, barely missing how Nena sent Mongo 'back to work'.

Ilio drank up what Nena served in front of her. "Too bad i can't have the second one." She gently stood up with her weapons.  "Well, no rest for the living. I will have the second when I come back." And she put some extra on the bar. "And this is a present for Mongo, hope this would help him, just a little." she looked at the direction where Mongo disappeared to, "Go 'little' easy on him, Nena." she gave a playful smile and then left the bar. Ilio was fully aware that Mongo probably had much more debt to pay Nena than what she gave Nena, but it was a friendly gesture she did for Mongo time to time.

In any case, she left the bar gently and confidently made her way to the place where she had to be.

The Devil’s Cocktail

- Nena -

Nena pursed her lips at Ilio's gentle chiding. "I already go too easy on him as it is. You give him an inch, and he takes a mile."

She picked up the pay and the little extra, shaking her head but smiling. As she watched Ilio leave, Mongo clambered back onto the bar and plucked the extra with a wide grin.

"Ah, Ili is so sweet and thoughtful," he chirped.

"Maybe a little much so for this life," Nena sighed.

The Devil's Cocktail

Vayu entered the bar through the back straight into the kitchen as he was used to in the last couple of days since their return. He'd gotten quite a lecture, at least for Nena's standards, since the last couple missions had been nearly back to back and that meant the warm food at the bar currently lacked consistency.

To make up for it, he'd come around every afternoon after training. To be honest, he enjoyed it. It felt good to have something to go back to that felt normal and routinely. And cooking was always fun.

The only problem had been the newest addition to his team. The little demon boar piglet, somewhat exhausted after the journey back and a little bit shy when suddenly out of the forest, had taken some time to get used to the city. However, this morning it was not only very restless, but had refused to stay in his room quietly. Usually curled up into a small ball to sleep after watching him train, it had made quite a ruckus.

So Vayu, in his mind, was left with no other choice but to take it with him. It had lead to a lenghty discussion between him and Catequil until Vayu pointed out, that Catequil had been the first demon to actually be allowed to stay at the bar and be present in the kitchen at the Devil's Cocktail, so he shouldn't make such a fuss about a small little piglet coming around.

Pulling the little guy close, he'd brought him in under his coat and sat him down on an upright barrel in the corner.

"I need you to behave, okay?" he said. "I'm gonna be busy cooking, so please just watch."

He still wasn't sure how much that little piglet really understood or was even capable of. Beginning his prep, he gave it a few crumbs and morsels every now and then to keep it occupied. For a while things went smoothly, when suddenly...

I think you have a problem clear amusement colored Catequil's voice.
Vayu spun around to where he'd left the piglet. The top of the barrel was emtpy. "Shit!"
"This is not funny," he replied to the demon who was by now laughing in his head.
Oh no, this is very funny. I told you so Catequil's voice faded as he pulled back to spectating.

Vayu gritted his teeth and turned down the flame on the stove where the stew was simmering. It couldn't be helped, he had a pretty good guess where that little piglet had gone off to as the back door was still firmly closed but the path to the main room of the bar was wide open. Nearly sneaking, he made his way to the front.

The Devil’s Cocktail

As soon as Vayu peered around the corner, he came face-to-face with an unusual sight.

The boar piglet stood directly before Mongo, who peered into the piglet’s curious, unblinking eyes, Slowly, as he picked at his chin, Mongo attempted to circle around the piglet, who shuffled about to keep facing the other little demon.

“The perfect size…” Mongo paused, then broke into a wide grin. “For me to ride!”

He jumped and landed on the piglet’s back, earning a squeal of what might have been surprise or perhaps excitement at the prospect. It was hard to tell.

“To ride on out of here.” Nena scooped up the two, one hanging off each hand, and pursed her lips. “Last thing I need are two nuisances. Though, at least one of you is cute.”

“Why, thank you, Nena,” Mongo replied, batting his eyelashes.

She tossed him away under a nearby booth. “Not you. Now…” She squinted at the piglet. “Where did you come from exactly?” She glanced toward the kitchen. “Were you meant to be tonight’s main course?”

The Devil's Cocktail

- Vayu -

The boar piglet in Nena's hand began to squeal in a high pitched voice upon Nena's words, trying to escape her grip.

Vayu on the other hand wanted to sink into the ground. The scene that had unfoldeded in front of his eyes, left him speechless. Mongo attempting to ride around on the piglet and Nena quickly putting an end to it. Now stealth had gone out the window.

What to do? What to do?

Well there was only one solution.

Quickly, Vayu dashed through the bar only stopping barely in front of Nena. "Mine, nothing to see here," he murmured and grabbed the piglet before returning just as quickly to the kitchen.

Once back inside, he leaned against the wall, holding the piglet between his outstreched arms and exhaled with relief. "That was close."

The Devil’s Cocktail

Nena blinked at her empty hand, trying to process the blur of activity that had swept by in the last second.

"Was that...?" she said to herself.

"Uh huh." Mongo crawled out from beneath the nearby booth, peering toward the kitchen.

Rory approached, broom in hand, peering at the two as they stared out into the distance. "What's going on?"

They gestured to her to follow and crept up the kitchen entrance, peering around the wall. The moment Rory laid eyes on the piglet, a delighted squeal almost escaped her lips before Nena clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Vayu got a pet?" she whispered once Nena released her hold.

Nena sniffed at the air. "There's... a demon scent about it, but... could it really be? That cutesy little thing?"

"I'm a cute little thing and a demon," Mongo pointed out.

Nena and Rory declined to comment.

"Maybe I can get Yu-Yu to sell it to me to ride around on." He rubbed his hands together in glee. "Can either of you spare me some cash?"

"I know you're not asking that when you haven't paid your tab," Nena growled.

Rory hushed them, pressing her hands to her cheeks to keep them from smiling. They'd started to ache. "Look, he's talking to it. Isn't it cute?"

"If you like that sort of thing," Nena muttered.

"What sort of thing?" Komori asked, his breath tickling the back of her neck.

With a screech of surprise, she pitched forward, tripped on Mongo, and landed atop him. Mongo squawked indignantly, flailing to escape from beneath her, until Komori swept her up off the ground. She blushed as his arms remained around her waist, a grin painted across his handsome face.

And then Rory softly cleared her throat, bringing to attention that they were all now standing right out in the open in the kitchen entrance, in full view of Vayu, frozen with eyes wide and arms outstretched.

For a moment, no one spoken.

"I like the pig," Komori said cheerily.

The Devil's Cocktail

- Vayu -

Vayu had just lowered the piglet when suddenly more chaos ensued. Mongo, Rory, Nena and even Komori came all more or less tumbling into the kitchen.

Vayu’s jaw dropped and he stared at them. “What the --?” At first a little giggle escaped his lips and then laughter burst forward. The comedy of the situation was just too funny to hold back. He set the piglet on the ground and supported his hands on his knees.

Finally, he straightened up. “What a mess,” he said, still chuckling. “I should’ve told you that I’m bringing this little guy today,” he said to Nena. “I’m still new to this and that he doesn’t disappear into the gauntlet. Please be patient while I’m trying to figure out the best way to raise it.”

The piglet in the meantime had started to approach the group sniffing Rory’s legs and seemed quite calm despite the commotion.